Where Shakti Dances: The Forgotten Yoginis of Power
In the quiet spaces of ancient India, beyond grand temples and familiar gods, there existed a sacred sisterhood known as the Yoginis. They were not gentle divinities of comfort but powerful embodiments of transformation, mystery, and inner awakening. The Yoginis belonged to an older spiritual vision where the divine feminine was raw, untamed, and deeply connected to the forces of nature and the human soul. To encounter the Yoginis was not to seek blessings alone but to face truth, fear, and liberation.
The Yoginis are most often described as a group of sixty-four, each representing a distinct cosmic energy. Some embodied fierce aspects of time and death, while others governed healing, desire, wisdom, or hidden knowledge. Together they formed a complete circle of power, symbolising the totality of existence. Their worship emerged from Tantric traditions, where spiritual growth was achieved not by renunciation of the world but by deep engagement with its energies. Through ritual, meditation, and discipline, seekers believed the Yoginis could awaken dormant spiritual forces within the human body.
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The Secret Lore of Yoginis
Unlike mainstream gods who reside in enclosed sanctums, the Yoginis were worshipped in open circular temples, exposed to sky, wind, moonlight, and rain. Archaeologists have uncovered such temples at Hirapur, Ranipur Jharial, Bhedaghat, and other sacred sites across India. These stone circles were not merely architectural wonders but sacred diagrams carved into the earth. Standing within them, a devotee symbolically entered the cosmic mandala of the Yoginis, placing themselves at the centre of divine power.
In mythology, the Yoginis often appear as attendants of Goddess Durga or manifestations of her Shakti. They assist her in cosmic battles, absorb demonic energies, and restore balance to the universe. Yet they are not bound to one goddess alone. The Yoginis represent freedom from fixed form, flowing between the divine and human realms. This fluid identity made them both revered and feared. Over time, as spiritual traditions became more structured and conservative, Yogini worship slowly faded from public practice.
Yet their presence never vanished completely. It remains etched in stone, whispered in legends, and echoed in Tantric texts. Today, the Yoginis invite a renewed understanding of spirituality that honours feminine power, mystery, and transformation. They remind us that divinity is not always serene and orderly. Sometimes it is wild, challenging, and profoundly liberating. To remember the Yoginis is to remember a sacred truth that spiritual awakening often begins where certainty ends, and mystery begins.
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